FIRST Robotics

ABOUT FIRST

The varsity Sport for the Mind™, FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, students teams are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get. Volunteer professional and college mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. Energy Tech is home to both FRC and FTC teams.

At the kickoff event each year, a new challenge and game manual are announced to teams all over the world. Each team is provided a kit of parts with necessary components to a rolling, remote controlled chassis. At this point the students brainstorm the mechanism necessary to complete the task for a given year. Based on their interests and skill set, they are then broken into teams: mechanical, software/programming, electronics, marketing.

The kickoff event marks the beginning of the 6-week build season in which our team meets formally on Wednesdays through Fridays from 3-6 pm, and Saturdays from 9-1 pm. Different groups may spend longer hours or meet on additional days depending on their progress. It is not unusual to find students in the lab as late as 8 pm or during school vacations! For more information about our program, please contact Mr. Soares at lsoares@energytechhs.org, Mr. Petrocelli at lpetrocelli@energytechhs.org, Mr. Morris at dmorris@energytechhs.org, or Ms. Garcia at agarcia@energytechhs.org.